WWDC 2023: Apple announces macOS Sonoma with desktop widgets, advanced gaming features, more

Apple announced a new version of its Mac operating system at WWDC 2023. macOS Sonoma is the latest version of Apple's desktop operating system and brings a ton of new features to elevate the user's experience.

Apple claim's macOS Sonoma is the "world's most advanced desktop operating system." macOS Sonoma will be available for supported Macs later this year. Here's a quick look at everything coming to macOS Sonoma.

macOS Sonoma - Interactive Widgets, Smarter Video Conferencing

macOS Sonoma is introducing more powerful and personal Widgets. Apple's latest macOS brings new desktop widgets, while continuity allows iPhone users to transfer existing iOS widgets to Macs so long as the two are connected to the same Wi-Fi network.

macOS Sonoma also brings enhanced video conferencing features including Presenter Overlay. The feature allows users to share documents during a video call, while keeping their face on the camera. Additionally, Reactions allow users to share how they feel by seamlessly adding balloons, hearts, etc. into the video. There's also an improved Screen Sharing picker.

macOS Sonoma - Upgrades to Safari

Apple has announced a significant update to Private Browsing on Safari with advanced tracking and fingerprinting protections. Private Browsing windows also lock when users are not using them.

Additionally, profiles offer a way to separate browsing between topics, while keeping cookies, history, extensions, Tab Groups, and Favourites separate. Safari also enables the creation of web apps, which will function like normal apps, to further simplify the user experience.

macOS Sonoma - Improved Gaming Experience

Gaming mode on macOS Sonoma will prioritize games' access to CPU and GPU resources on Macs that use Apple's custom silicon chips to deliver improved performance. Game Mode also lowers audio latency with AirPods and input latency with popular game controllers.

Developers will be able to use Metal 3 to bring exciting new titles to the Mac. Apple says, "To make it easier to port games from other platforms to Mac, Metal introduces a new game porting toolkit, eliminating months of upfront work and enabling developers to see how well their existing game could run on Mac in just a few days."

macOS Sonoma Features

macOS Sonoma introduces a range of accessibility features. Made for iPhone hearing devices can connect to their Mac for calls and media consumption. Moreover, users with speech impairments can use Live Speech to type and vocalize their thoughts during calls and conversations.

For users with physical and motor disabilities, phonetic suggestions appear when dictating and editing text with Voice Control on Mac. macOS Sonoma brings a new high-performance mode to the Screen Sharing app. This mode empowers users to securely access their content creation workflows from anywhere.

It also enables emote colour workflows that without dedicated hardware and specialized software. macOS Sonoma also brings new screen savers, which include slow-motion videos of various locations worldwide. The login experience is now repositioned to make space for the new screen savers.

macOS Sonoma Updates

Apple also announced several updates to the mac operating system including enhanced PDF functionality, upgrades to privacy and safety features, Reminders, inline PDFs in Notes, and more. Users can also create a group to share a set of passwords.

Communication Safety expands to AirDrop, the Photos picker, incoming calls, and FaceTime messages, further broadening protections for children. "macOS is the heart of the Mac, and with Sonoma, we're making it even more delightful and productive to use," said Craig Federighi, Apple's senior vice president of Software Engineering.